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I had a phone interview last week with the controller of a new company I am interested in. They then wanted to meet with me today for an interview. I was scheduled for an interview today, and three hours before they cancelled it and wanted to reschedule it for next week. I already took PTO from my current job. What do I do? I don't want to look bad calling out again. It will be hard to find another excuse to call off especially since I commute in the city.

How can I communicate effectively that I am unable to reschedule, but am still interested in the position?

smci
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Maria
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    Is your current employer not flexible to this? Its your PTO, you should be allowed to use it as you see fit, provided the needs of the company or met (ie too many others also off). –  Nov 19 '18 at 17:11
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    @SiXandSeven8ths lots of places wont give PTO whenever you want. You typically need to book a bit in advanced. Also, why should OP waste from PTO when there is chance they will miss that one as well – SaggingRufus Nov 19 '18 at 17:39
  • How much $$ are you out of pocket for one PTO day off? – smci Nov 19 '18 at 21:24
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    Can you tell your current employer that what you needed time for (fantasy dr appointment or whatever) has been postponed, and that you'd like to reschedule next week? And just stay at work? If that's not allowed, I can understand only too well why you might want a different job :-) –  Nov 19 '18 at 21:34
  • @smci some employers will buy your PTO back from you – De Novo Nov 19 '18 at 23:37
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    Related: What to put in "reason" when asking for days off for job interview at another place? – Bernhard Barker Nov 21 '18 at 00:09
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    Is it more important to you to prevent your current employer from getting slightly suspicious or for you to get another job? – Bernhard Barker Nov 21 '18 at 00:25
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    Do you need an entire day for this interview? Or can you shuffle time at work and work a couple lunch breaks extra to make up for it all ? – Criggie Nov 21 '18 at 08:25
  • @DeNovo: most won't, and as the OP stated, the company canceled at three hours notice, which could have been as late as 1pm. And even in the unlikely event they could, changing PTO like that could raise eyebrows, and would certainly be inconvenient. – smci Nov 22 '18 at 04:30

5 Answers5

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It's annoying when that happens - and with the best will in the world it does happen. Interviewers are humans too and just as subject to last minute hiccups as the rest of us (illness etc). A good employer will recognise that this has put you in an awkward position and should be willing to work with you to rearrange with that in mind.

It's totally fine to say something like:

It was unfortunate that we weren't able to meet as planned. I'm still very interested in the role but I'm going to struggle to get time off again next week. Would you be able to meet me one night after work? Say at x time?

Lightness Races in Orbit
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motosubatsu
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    Not only does it show the inconvenience, but it shows that you're willing to roll with it and figure something out while still managing to meet your current obligations. After all, when you eventually leave their company, they don't want someone that drops the ball before you've left, right? – corsiKa Nov 19 '18 at 19:40
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    If they are embarrassed at having had to cancel at short notice this gives them a graceful way to make amends. – Patricia Shanahan Nov 19 '18 at 21:40
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    What do you do if the employer simply says "Sorry, we only interview 9-5, you will have to arrange the interview another day"? – Ertai87 Nov 20 '18 at 16:42
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    @Ertai87, in that event, you thank them for their consideration, express your regrets that you will not be able to meet with them, and THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS THAT THEY SHOWED THEIR TRUE COLORS BEFORE YOU HIRED IN, rather than after. – John R. Strohm Nov 20 '18 at 16:46
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    @Ertai87 Reaffirm that I'm are unable to make any 9-5 times next week, Express regret that it doesn't appear as if we'll be able to get to meet after all, this keeps the ball in their court if they wish to propose an alternative but if not politely thank them for their time and interest in my application and use the rest of the unexpected day off to catch up on my Netflix queue? Chilling Adventures of Sabrina isn't going to watch itself! – motosubatsu Nov 20 '18 at 16:58
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    @JohnR.Strohm Why is it so bad for an employer to not require employees to work outside of office hours to interview candidates? – Bernhard Barker Nov 21 '18 at 00:20
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    @Dukeling That's not the problem. The problem is they cancelled 3 hours before the interview, wasting the OP's day off. Try canceling anything else like that (court date, flights, hotel booking) and see what happens. Usually the person doing the cancelling pays for it, not the other way around. – Nelson Nov 21 '18 at 03:20
  • @Dukeling, Most places have overhead costs about equal to 100% of salary. Most places require another 100% of salary in revenue to make a healthy profit on one employee. That's 3X salary. So, take your annual salary, multiply by 15, and that gives the expected revenue (or savings) that they want to get over five years by hiring you. Calculate that number now. They just blew off that savings/revenue, on three hours notice, and they are not willing to exercise flexibility to recover. – John R. Strohm Nov 21 '18 at 08:55
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    @JohnR.Strohm That calculation is way over stated. You are neither distinguishing between fixed and variable costs nor recognizing that the opportunity cost of a slightly less qualified hire is a fraction of full salary. – Pieter Geerkens Nov 21 '18 at 10:59
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    @PieterGeerkens, you are of course free to provide a more detailed analysis. The point remains the same: a hiring decision involves the commitment of a large amount of money. Throwing a monkey wrench at the last minute, and then (hypothetically) declining to work the problem outside of normal business hours, raises some serious questions about the firm, the answers to which one might well prefer to let someone else discover. – John R. Strohm Nov 21 '18 at 14:25
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    @JohnR.Strohm They'd only be "blowing off" that revenue if (a) there are less people than there are jobs in the company and (b) they actually want you. In the real world they're going to reject many candidates and there are always worse candidates, or better ones. The maximum revenue lost might be a lot, but the expected / average revenue lost is almost negligible. – Bernhard Barker Nov 21 '18 at 17:59
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I think it comes down to a question of how badly you want this new position and how good an opportunity it is. Also, it depends on what you think you can 'get away' with with your current employer.

If the job is a great opportunity to advance your career and you can't afford to pass it up, then I would probably do whatever I could to make the interview happen, such as 'feigning' a sick day or family emergency, if necessary. You have to think about your own career first and I don't think most employers would be too concerned about one day, especially if you are a good employee, working hard and getting good results, and as long as it isn't a regular thing.

However, if you do that, I think it is also very important to make the new employer aware beforehand of the difficulty for you in taking time off, and that it is unlikely you would be able to re-schedule again if they cancel again at such short notice.

Time4Tea
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Remember that your current job may be the only one you have. So be very careful. Honesty is the best policy, but don't give out details to your current employer they don't need. Best wishes for success.

JosephDoggie
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Take another day off. Just schedule it now so that it's not "calling in" again and it should be fine. If you can't get it on the schedule and you don't have anymore time off allowances, explain it to the interviewer.

If you got an interview, then you can probably get another job. The job you have right now is not the only thing in the world. Don't let it overstep your boundaries. Just be reasonable and mindful of what you signed up for when you agreed to take your current role and you'll be fine.

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Annoying, but don't take it personally. Managers conduct hundreds of interviews; sounds like a key interviewer and/or hiring manager had something come up.

If next week is no good for you, just offer them a few dates and times when you can be available; e.g.:

I am available at the following dates/times:

Wed 28 Nov - morning
Thu 29 Nov - afternoon
Fri 30 Nov - morning

This is pretty standard stuff.

  1. I prefer morning interviews, but some companies like afternoon. I normally give two mornings and one afternoon.
  2. This morning/afternoon strategy also gives you the option to take a 1/2 day with your current employer.

Also, in my opinion, when proposing times:

  1. Avoid Mondays. Some people tend to be in a rotten mood.
  2. Avoid Friday afternoon. Some people don't want to be bothered, are tired from the work week, and want to get started on their weekend.
kmiklas
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